Kathryn Hallberg - Misery

With a natural and gorgeous soprano, and some classic roots instrumentation, Kathryn Hallberg has put together a bit of Americana-flavored lesson-making, with elements of her own life stepping in to fill out the details. It’s a pop-friendly production, complete with live-sounding acoustic drums, layers of electric guitar, and a lap steel tying all the breaks together.

Here, the lead vocal just feels right, with almost no harmony at all, showcasing the whispery softness of a single raw vocal take. It is a parable that will be unsurprising to many: when we just put ourselves first, we are not fulfilled.

Cause when you step away from the lightsWhen all of the laughter and the music dieYou’ll have to come to terms with yourself eventually

— Kathryn Hallberg

Kathryn Hallberg gives us a beautiful moment to reckon with our own tendencies, yielding an opportunity to understand the role we play in making our own destiny.